I'm done with the project! ...
What a coincidence! Yesterday, I helped DD and SIL install a 'click lock' flooring in the room they are setting up for the soon-to-arrive baby.
Home Legend Brazilian Oak 3/8 in. Thick x 5 in. Wide x Varying Length Click Lock Hardwood Flooring (19.686 sq. ft. / case)-HL322H - The Home Depot
This was stiff, very little bend to it. We were doing OK, they had already removed the baseboards, cleaned out most of the junk under them, painted and re-nailed them at the right height for this flooring to slip under, with a 1/4" cork underlayment. So getting it right to the edge of the baseboard gave it the required 1/2" to expand, and a 1/2" shoe molding would cover that edge and some shrinkage. So it was going OK, I decided my DD should select every board and placement so she would be 100% satisfied, and I double checked to get good seam placement, randomizing it and keeping them more than 6" adjoining. So a little time consuming, but not so bad.
Then we got to the door jambs (the door and one closet). Hmmmm. You don't put shoe molding around the door jamb, well, we got it cleared out far enough so that we could get it under, and still have room for expansion, but then HOW to get it under? As I said, this was a very stiff board, and the 'click-lock' process requires it to be raised up 30 degrees, and you just can't do that and get it under the jamb. What to do?
Told DD to search youtube, she didn't find much that was helpful (maybe yours wasn't up yet!). These could NOT be hammered in sideways, they just would not go, at least not w/o damaging the flooring, or shifting the entire floor. Then I figured out how to trim away just the right parts of the tongue-groove interlock, so it would slide with just some moderate tapping, and still semi-lock in place (good enough since the boards next to it would be fully locked.
I told her - we should video this, and put it on youtube!
You beat me to it (though ours are a little different).
Oh, and I did a
when I saw you use that Harbor Freight tool to trim the jambs. DD knew I had the flat hand saw that is used for that, and asked me to bring it, and I never thought about that power trim saw! SIL had that job, and it was a struggle. I think he hit some staples or nail, so the saw was probably really dull on top of it! I'm not sure I should tell him about that power tool
.
When we were done, I was shocked how good it looked. This floor has a matte finish, and to me it has such a warm wood look, no 'plastic'/shiny look to it. Looks far better than our satin finish hardwood flooring. Really nice.
But man, that's a LOT of stooping and hard on the knees. And I helped the other DD move the previous day, into a terrace apartment, so a flight of stairs (at least down when loaded) - my legs are shot (oddly, not very sore, just really 'tired' - like "don't ask me to climb another stair, or kneel again, please").
Took all day, and I really wanted to see the shoe molding go in place, so I could enjoy seeing our work completed, but I was tired and just could not handle it. We decided to get some take-out, and then I supervised SIL to get the shoe molding in, spent another night there as it was late by then, and drove home a little more refreshed in the AM. Whew!
And then.... the bi-fold doors didn't fit back, the flooring was higher than the old carpeting (and the door rubbed on that). Had to cut some off the bottom of one (the framing was not square), and I over-did it a bit, doesn't look so great, but they work pretty well. They are cheap/flimsy doors, I think they will replace them with some nice solid panel or louvered doors that they can paint trim-white.
-ERD50
